Tuesday January 31 2017, C.C. Burnikel

Theme: The Royal Treatment

18. TV's "The Practice," e.g. : LEGAL DRAMA. Drama Queen

20. "Bummer!" : WHAT A DRAG. Drag Queen

38. Door holder's witticism : AGE BEFORE BEAUTY. Beauty Queen

55. Procter & Gamble laundry detergent : IVORY SNOW. Snow Queen

60. Australia's "Sunshine State" ... or where you might find the ends of 18-, 20-, 38- and 55-Across? : QUEENSLAND

Melissa here. Another fun one from our queen, C.C. This one almost filled in by itself for me, a  nice way to start the morning. Love to see the grid-spanner in the middle.

Across       

1. Greek sandwich : GYRO. Pronounced "YEEros."

5. Happy gatherings : FESTS

10. Baby cow : CALF

14. Control for an equestrian : REIN

15. In full view : OVERT

16. Buckeye State : OHIO

17. Horse feed : OATS

22. Ford fiasco : EDSEL

23. Provides staff for : MANS

24. "That makes sense" : I SEE

26. Champagne stopper or popper : CORK

27. Genius Bar pro : TECH. In Apple stores.

29. JFK's successor : LBJ

32. High-card-wins game : WAR

33. Enjoy : LIKE

35. Submitted tax returns with a click : E-FILED. It's that time again.

41. Part of Congress : SENATE

42. Somali-born supermodel : IMAN. She lost her husband David Bowie a year ago.

43. Wide shoe size : EEE

44. Frat. counterpart : SOR

45. Aid in a felony : ABET

47. Traps in an attic? : WEBS. Nice clue.

49. Deborah of "The King and I" : KERR

51. Fictional Hawaiian police nickname : DANO. From TV show Hawaii Five-O.

52. Rage : ANGER

62. "Go back" computer command : UNDO

63. Sch. near the U.S.-Mexico border : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.

64. Tweak, say : ALTER

65. Raise a big stink? : REEK

66. Pops a question : ASKS

67. Outlaw chasers : POSSE

68. Hours next to flight nos. : ETD'S. Estimated Time of Departure.

Down 

1. Branch out : GROW

2. "Okey-dokey" : YEAH

3. Second actress to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony : RITA MORENO

4. GM system with an AtYourService app : ONSTAR

5. Helps with the laundry : FOLDS

6. Happily __ after : EVER

7. Maker of the Genesis game system : SEGA

8. Like many Shakespeare plays : TRAGIC

9. MLB Cardinal's cap letters : STL

10. Lear's youngest daughter : CORDELIA

11. "I get it" cries : AHAS

12. Green citrus fruit : LIME

13. Baby horse : FOAL

19. Lousy grade : DEE

21. Sock that covers the joint it's named for : ANKLET

25. Biblical queendom : SHEBA

26. Pet store enclosures : CAGES

27. Ref's ring decision : TKO

28. Spine-tingling : EERIE

30. Margarine that shares its name with Texas' state flower : BLUEBONNET

31. Ballet leaps : JETES

32. "Now, where __ I?" : WAS

34. "Sadly ... " : I FEAR

36. Red Sox ballpark : FENWAY

37. Hair coloring : DYE

39. Cocktail makers : BARKEEPS

40. Ambulance fig. : EMT

46. S.O.S shelfmate : BRILLO

48. Make certain of : ENSURE

50. Fish-eating eagle : ERN

51. Rapper with a title : DR. DRE

52. Poolside shade : AQUA

53. Pecans and cashews : NUTS

54. Nerdy type : GEEK

56. 37-Down containers : VATS

57. Singles : ONES

58. Binged (on), as snacks : ODED

59. Pans for potstickers : WOKS

61. Maple extract : SAP

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog since August 2009. Bill's posts are always lighthearted and warm, even his comments to the mean anons are polite. So glad Barbara's ordeal is over, Bill. Now you can start sharing your mouthwatering lunch order again. Thanks for the steady presence on our blog. 

Barbara & Bill

2) Here is picture of dear Santa Argyle playing cards. It's taken last Sunday Jan 29, 2017.

Monday, January 30, 2017 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: Homophonous Endings - but you knew that.

20A. Mork's sign-off: NANU NANU

28A. Eastside Manhattan thoroughfare: FIRST AVENUE

35A. Confidentially, in Cannes: ENTRE NOUS

46A. Boat made from a hollowed tree trunk: DUGOUT CANOE

55A. Request for the latest update: WHAT'S NEW

Argyle here. Good start for a new week, eh?

Across:

1. Song of praise: PSALM

6. Madagascar primate: LEMUR

11. "Norma __": RAE

14. Fiber-__ cable: OPTIC

15. Last Olds model: ALERO

16. Make a decision: OPT

17. Massachusetts witch trial town: SALEM

18. Frenzied: MANIC

19. Speedometer reading: Abbr.: MPH

22. Cute Aussie "bear": KOALA

24. What we breathe: AIR

25. In favor of: FOR

26. Native of Damascus: SYRIAN

27. Chinese menu letters: MSG. (monosodium glutamate)

31. Dijon darling: CHERI

33. Brain scan: Abbr.: EEG. (electroencephalogram)

34. Had the best record in: LED

39. Univ. near Harvard: MIT. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

41. Unspecified number: ANY

42. Choppers: TEETH. Slang.

50. Ship, to a sailor: SHE

51. Zambia neighbor: ANGOLA. Enlarge if you can; great detail.

52. Suffix with east: ERN

53. Male or female: SEX

54. Pastoral poem: IDYLL

58. Cozy cat seat: LAP

59. Kind of Boy Scout badge: MERIT

61. Ancient region of Asia Minor: IONIA

63. "Lux" composer Brian: ENO. "Lux" is a 2012 album by Brian Eno.

64. Tylenol alternative: ALEVE

65. "Filthy" moolah: LUCRE

66. "Sure thing": "YEP"

67. Eight plus one, to aviators: NINER

68. Disdainful grin: SNEER

Down:

1. Places to buy stamps: Abbr.: POs. (POST OFFICES)

2. Language of Chile: SPANISH

3. On the loose: AT LARGE

4. Property encumbrance: LIEN

5. Golden Arches egg sandwich: McMUFFIN

6. Hollywood's Hedy: LAMARR

7. Stylish vigor: ELAN

8. Café chalkboard listing: MENU

9. Ocean State sch.: URI. (University of Rhode Island)

10. 1990 Stallone boxing film which at the time was thought to be the conclusion of its series: ROCKY V

11. Caesar salad lettuce: ROMAINE

12. Give a hand to: APPLAUD

13. Flammable hydrocarbon: ETHANE

21. There's __ in "team": NO I 23. Bully's threat ender: OR ELSE

24. "Breaking Bad" channel: AMC. The name originally stood for "American Movie Classics".

26. Palm starch: SAGO

29. "Later, bro": "SEE YA'"

30. X, to Cato: TEN

32. Update factory machinery: RETOOL

36. "Toodles!": "TA-TA!"

37. GOP fundraising org.: RNC. (Republican National Committee)

38. Kitchen implements: UTENSILS

39. Humdrum: MUNDANE

40. "Lust for Life" punk rocker: IGGY POP

43. Defining quality: ESSENCE

44. 2000s crime drama set in Baltimore: "THE WIRE"

45. Cast a spell on: HEX

46. Dan of old MGM musicals: DAILEY

47. Tracey on whose show "The Simpsons" debuted: ULLMAN

48. More orderly: NEATER

49. Dinner plate scrap: ORT

55. Chirpy bird: WREN

56. Home with drones: HIVE. A male bee is a drone.

57. Sentence subject, as a rule: NOUN

60. Yale collegian: ELI

62. __ Lingus: Irish carrier: AER

Argyle

Sunday January 29, 2017 Robyn Weintraub

Theme:  "Nowhere"- Parse it as No W Here. W is removed from each theme entry.

23A. Black kitten crossing your path? : LITTLE WOMEN. Little Women.

34A. Transgressions timeline? : THE WAGES OF SIN. The wages of sin. Not a familiar phrase to me.

49A. Matching food containers? : IDENTICAL TWINS. Identical twins.

64A. New England proceedings concerning allergic reactions? : SALEM WITCH TRIALS. Salem Witch Trials.

86A. Cheating millionaire? : WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Wheel of Fortune.

99A. Tony Soprano's quilt? : DOWN COMFORTER. Down comforter.

14A. Wrigley's in-house hip-hop group? : GUM WRAPPERS. Gum wrapper. 

There are no stray W's in this whole grid. Very nice.

I think this is Robyn Weintraub's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations, Robyn! It's a beauty. Only 138 words. No cheater squares. In a grid like this, you'd expect a few obscure abbrs or boring EST/ER ending fill, but all her long fill (8+) shine, some intersect or parallel another long fill, or both. Just amazing.

Across:    

1. Where there's smoke : FLUE. Not FIRE.

5. Happy, in Juárez : FELIZ. Happy Año Nuevo! Any of you were born in the Year of the Rooster? (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005...). This site says "Rooster is almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality." True for Argyle (1945), who's a Rooster.

10. They go with the flow : RAFTS. Nice clue.

15. Misplace : LOSE

19. Ninth Greek letter : IOTA. I used to have a cheat sheet.

20. Girl who obeyed 4-Down : ALICE. And 4. Fictional words written in currants : EAT ME

21. Courtier in "Hamlet" : OSRIC

22. Gem for some Libras : OPAL. I'm not into this birthstone thing.

25. Wedding registry category : CHINA

26. Old TV knob : VERT. Don't feel TV is enough of an Abbr. hint.

27. Aftershock : TREMOR

28. Exhilarating : BRISK

30. Princess Peach creator : NINTENDO. Needed crossing help.

32. Words often etched in stone : HERE LIES

36. Villain Luthor : LEX

37. "Boston Legal" co-star : SHATNER (William)

38. Name change indicator : NEE

39. It's done in Paris : FINI

43. Superfund agcy. : EPA

45. Clears : RIDS

46. Bad-mouthed : DISSED

53. Summer getaway : COTTAGE. Nice and quiet.

54. Worked one's fingers to the bone : SLAVED

55. One may be jam-packed : JAR. So simple in retrospect.

56. Angler's shout : GOT ONE. Also 39. 56-Across object : FISH. We used to catch carp in the small lake near our home. Carp is a popular dish in Asia. We steam it. Then sprinkle with slices of green onions & ginger, which are marinated in a sweet soy sauce.

58. Dept. head : MGR

59. Straight : HETERO

60. Biblical prophet : AMOS. Got via crosses.

62. Medium power? : ESP

63. It feels like forever : AEON

69. Indication to stop playing : REST. Musical rest.

72. Letters for 94-Across : AKA. 94. Crook's creations : ALIASES

 

73. Get the message : HEAR

74. Brand whose ads feature alpenhorns : RICOLA

78. Pipe plastic : PVC

79. Arms treaty subjects, briefly : N-TESTs

82. 2001 boxing biopic : ALI

83. Went on and on : DRONED

84. Places for reflection : MIRRORS. This clue makes me smile.

 

89. Doc's pal : SLEEPY. Seven Dwarfs. Same letter count as SNEEZY.

90. Kings, e.g. : BEDS

91. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE

92. Go across : SPAN

93. Canal site : EAR

96. Gardner of old Hollywood : AVA

 

102. Emergency supplies delivery point : DROP ZONE. Followed by another 8: 107. Area of severe industrial decline : RUST BELT

108. Brainless : INANE

110. Like typical laundromats : COIN-OP

111. First century Roman emperor : OTHO. Newbies probably want OTTO. 

112. When "eye of newt" is mentioned in "Macbeth" : ACT IV

 

116. It could be fishy : ODOR

117. Feudal lord : LIEGE

118. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty : O'DOUL. Way before my time. There's another Lefty in baseball. Lefty Grove. Pitcher.

119. __ facto : IPSO

120. Nursery stock : POTS

 

121. Fountain fare : SODAS

122. Tweeting locales : NESTS. We also have 7. Branches : LIMBS

123. IRS agents : T-MEN

Down:

1. Laundry challenge : FILTH. Not STAIN or GRIME.

2. Chateau-dotted valley : LOIRE

3. Consummate : UTTER

5. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE

6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO

8. Bakery artist : ICER

9. Apex : ZENITH

10. Speeding : ROCKETING. Never used the verb form of ROCKET.

11. Camel debris : ASH. Not the desert animal.

12. Peripheries : FRINGES

13. Even smaller : TINIER

14. Digitizes, in a way : SCANS

15. Affectionate celebration : LOVEFEST

16. "Let me in," facetiously : OPEN SESAME. Two gorgeous entries side by side.

17. Restaurateur with an honorary Tony : SARDI (Vincent). Unaware of this fact, though I do know Sardi's is the birthplace of Tony Awards.

18. "The Lion King" co-composer John : ELTON

24. Lounge about : LOLL

29. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI

31. Marquee time : TONITE. Also got via crosses.

33. Biz bigwig : EXEC

35. Conclusion beginning : AND SO

37. Hero material? : SALAMI. Think of Sandwich whenever you see Hero with a ?

40. Frivolous : IDLE

41. Like a pin? : NEAT

42. Get some Intel, say : INVEST. Intel stock. Also 44. Undercover attire? : PAJAMAS. Two great clues.

46. Longtime "SNL" announcer : DON PARDO. Not often we see his full name.

47. Freezer aisle breakfast brand : EGGO

48. "Jurassic Park" co-star : DERN (Laura)

50. Prefix with hertz : TERA

51. Blind reverence : IDOLATRY. Banned in Islam. But so many boys are called Muhammed.

52. Relaxed pace : TROT

53. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI

57. Scare stiff : TERRIFY

61. Destination for many srs. : SCH. I was thinking of Florida.

63. Natty neckwear : ASCOTS

65. Just about makes, with "out" : EKES

66. Get better : HEAL

67. Raptor features : TALONS

68. NYC line to the Hamptons : LIRR

69. Record speeds, for short : RPMS (Revolutions Per Minute)

70. Really bad : EVIL

71. Picture of a picture : SCREENSHOT. Got via crosses, despite grabbing screenshots for all my blogging posts.

75. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme : ON UP

76. Contemporary of Ella : LENA (Horne)

77. Mideast seaport : ADEN

79. "Piece o' cake!" : NO PROB!

80. His and hers : THEIR. The clue is asking for THEIRS, no?

81. Calming agents : SEDATIVES. Boomer is now calming his foot nerve problem with Scotch tape. I'm amazed that it works. He also rubs the Therapeutic Blue Ice Gel on his legs for the sciatic nerve pain. He does it every time before he goes bowling. It stinks, but again, it works for him. Similar to below bottle, but Health Smart brand. Boomer gets his at the Dollar Store.

85. Powerful power sources : REACTORS

87. Ruhr Valley city : ESSEN

88. Cause of white knuckles : FEAR

90. Fixed, as one's lipstick : BLOTTED. How many lipsticks do you think an average woman own?

94. Union union : AFL-CIO

95. Christopher Paolini fantasy best-seller : ERAGON. Friendly letter combo. I always want DRAGON.
 

97. They may be recorded separately : VOCALS

98. Each : A POP

99. Succumb to gravity : DROOP

100. Surpass : OUTDO

101. Board with a room? : MEALS. Another tricky clue.

102. Reps' promotions : DEMOS

103. "Not another word!" : ZIP IT!

104. Latish lunch hr. : ONE PM

105. Like the mythological Aesir-Vanir War : NORSE

106. HP competitor : EPSON

109. Hosiery shade : NUDE. No ECRU today.

113. Supermarket chain with a red-and-white logo : IGA. Never been to one.

115. Hard thing to get out of : RUT

C.C.

Saturday, Jan 28th, 2017, Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: "hashtag"

Words: 70 (missing Q,W,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

HA~!!!  This one was looking bleak for the longest time, with a lot of proper names and vague clues, but I surprised myself by getting it done with nary a single cheat, Google, or red-letter peek.  And within my personal allotted time, as well.  The puzzle itself had to be a truly difficult one to construct, with triple spanners crossing triple climbers, in a "#"-like pattern.  Very clever.  I have to admire constructors who can pull this off without "meh" fill.  In retrospect there was a lot of 'crosswordese' which I have seen before, including a repeat of last week's 'keeping it real'.  The long fills;

20. Quantum mechanics symbol : SCHRODINGER'S CAT - I've posted a link to this before, and the more I try to understand it, the more my brain hurts.  I get it, but the more I read, the more I don't get it

37. Herbie and Christine : SELF-DRIVING CARS - one friendly, one no so friendly; Christine was one of the first 'adult' books I ever read, and as a result, the Buick Cutlass Supreme Brougham that I was driving at the time earned the name "Christine"; the new Dodge is "Daphne"

52. Game with a disc : ULTIMATE FRISBEE - my first thought was Frisbee, but the 'ultimate' part eluded me

4. Like the Toyota Prius : ENERGY EFFICIENT - a"repeat" from last week

7. Gadget affected by waves : SOUND LEVEL METER

10. Like some aquariums : CLOSED ECOSYSTEM

ACROSS:

1. Spent : JADED - there are days when I am definitely "jaded" at UPS

6. Wine city SSE of the Matterhorn : ASTI - looking back, I shoulda recognized this as merely Saturday cluing for a common crossword fill

10. Pasta alle vongole ingredient : CLAM - no clue; had two crossings, and the other two letters were WAGs

14. 1955 Dior innovation : A LINE - I remembered this from previous puzzles, too, but I needed two crossings to jog my memory

15. Create, in a way : COIN - one of the line supervisors claims to have "coined" the term DERP, which ended up being the route name of one of my UPS trucks - until the driver looked it up, and said he didn't like the name anymore; so we changed the name of the route to DOUG

16. Actress Loughlin : LORI - I thought it was SARA - and of course, I had the "R" in place

17. Plague : BESET - "beset" always reminds me of the Pulp Fiction scene where Jules recites Ezekiel 25:17 - with a little embellishment from Quentin, naturally

18. Vintage vessels : TUNS - dah~!  Not URNS nor TUGS

19. Silver sources : ORES

23. __ wire : GUY - the sound effects guys on Star Wars used one to create the sound of the lasers in the movie

24. "Piece of cake!" : "DEAD EASY~!"

25. Be true to oneself : STAY REAL - another 'repeat' from last week

29. Poor, as an excuse : SAD

30. Roast runner : EMCEE

31. Dramatic start? : MELO - melodramatic

33. Place with Sundance : ETTA - crafty - I did not know Etta Place was Sundance Kid's wife - the Wiki

40. Adequate, in texts : ENUF

41. Tablet operator : USER

42. Capital at the foot of Vitosha Mountain : SOFIA - Saturday cluing

43. Network with a lot of reruns : ION - they started running Burn Notice, which I got hooked on - glad I have a Firestick so I can watch the episodes in sequence now

Love the sunglasses

45. End of the line : LAST STOP

47. Shore scavenger : BEACH BUM - I was thinking "birds" for some reason

51. Crowbar, e.g. : PRY

57. Architect Mies van der __ : ROHE - knew it, just couldn't remember how to spell it

58. Big name in credit : CITI

59. It's quite a blast : N-TEST

60. Reinterpret : SPIN

61. "Ad Parnassum" painter : KLEE - again, no clue.  WAG

uh-huh....

62. Pass without flying colors : GET a C

63. __ dress : TENT - not as appealing as an A LINE dress, IMHO

64. Vassal : SERF  semi-clecho with; 53d. Vassal's venue : FIEF

65. Line drive, say : SMASH - baseball

DOWN:

1. Sharp criticisms : JABS

2. Smart guy? : ALEC - har-har

3. Bobby Flay creation : DISH - a blank WAG on my part, and clearly a good one

5. Avoided traffic, perhaps : DETOURED

6. When Valjean is released from prison : ACT I - I have learned how to interpret clues like this; fill in "ACT" and wait; it was most likely going to be "I".  From Les Misérables, which I know little about

8. Soupçon : TINGE

9. Like Halloween pumpkins : IN SEASON

11. "Oda a Salvador Dalí" poet García __ : LORCA - no clue again

12. Domains : AREAS

13. Indistinct : MISTY

21. Batik need : DYE

22. Dietary no. : RDA

25. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE - got it because it's crosswordese again

26. Counterfeit cops? : T-MEN - Treasury agents

27. Scopes Trial gp. : ACLU

28. Nice friends : AMIs - Frawnche

32. Late Ottoman currency : LIRA - I first read this as "LIKE", not "LATE", so I didn't get it

34. Chief justice before Hughes : TAFT

35. Small club group : TRIO

36. "Pronto!" : ASAP

38. Football plays with special teams : RUNBACKS

39. D neighbors on most guitars : G-STRINGS - because the "other" G-string definition is unacceptable here

44. Bit of resistance : OHM - unit of measure for resistance

46. Easter time: Abbr. : SPRing

47. Star or cloud follower : BURST -Starburst, cloudburst; we had plenty of that here Tuesday

48. Cut out for a union? : ELOPE - ah, that kind of union

49. Walk __ line : A THIN

50. Handy : UTILE

54. Test release : BETA

55. Those, in Tenerife : ESAS

56. Permanently mark : ETCH - oops, not SCAR

Splynter

Friday, January 27, 2017, Patti Varol

Title: Tennis Anyone?  The real reveal?

Patti is here with her first 2017 puzzle, which structurally is like her last Friday effort. LINK. Using the inspiration of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes who wrote all of his legal works standing, I am here typing at my makeshift standing desk. This may end up being brief, but then brevity is the soul of wit I am told. The theme are all one word clues, which are brought together on the tennis court.

17A. POINT : TAPERING END ( 11). The fill are literal responses to the clue.

23A. GAME : SAFARI ANIMALS (13). There does not appear to be any relation in the fill.

50A. SET : FILMING LOCALE (13). A little more difficult for me.

59A. MATCH : FIRE STARTER (11). Then the unmarked reveal...

34A. With 36-Across, question for the court : TENNIS  (6) and 36A. See 34-Across : ANYONE (6).

For anyone who has played or watched Tennis (the amazing Williams sister are playing for the Australian Open title as I type) point, game, set and match track how a tennis match progresses, and they are skillfully in order here. An appropriate puzzle for the first grand slam event of the year.

Not much else in the longer fill, SEE PAST, IN A RUSH,  HAIRCUT,  EGG DROP, IMPOSE ON and  ORIENTAL but some tricky proper names to be addressed.

Across:

1. Like much of the Southwest : ARID. Deserts are dry; desserts sweet.

5. Summer music? : DISCO. Wonderful old deception but I was a big Donna Summer fan.

10. Org. funded by FICA : SSA. Social Security Administration.

13. Under-the-sink brand : COMET.

15. "Paper Moon" Oscar winner : O'NEAL. Tatum O'Neal won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

16. Like ibuprofen, briefly : OTC. Over The Counter.

19. Jiff : SEC.

20. "Nothing planned that day" : I'M OPEN. To suggestion, maybe, or I'm free.

21. Engineering sch. on the Hudson : RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a cso to some of our own. Putting it nest to...

22. Sport with masks : EPEE. Might trick some to think of a hockey goalie.

26. Move a finger or two, maybe : PEEK. a-boo.

28. Physics units : RADS. You cacc call Sheldon to explain THESE.

29. Signs over : CEDES.

30. 1945 Pacific battle site, familiarly : IWO. Jima.

31. Superfan : NUT.

32. Superhero played by Chris Hemsworth : THOR.. So many named Chris.

40. Exercise woe : ACHE.

42. Alex Dunphy, to Luke, on "Modern Family" : SIS. She has grown up.

43. Mojito ingredient : RUM.

44. "Not a problem" : IT'S OK.

47. Stuff in a backpack : GEAR. Not any more.

49. Little stretches : FIBS. Just like the clue/fill.

53. Captain Picard's counselor : TROI. Star Trek:TNG

54. Unexpectedly by itself, as in the dryer : ODD.

55. Kenya neighbor : UGANDA. EAST AFRICA.

58. Storybook baddie : HAG. The ugly witches.

61. Programming pioneer Lovelace : ADA. A gimme for our math and Computer people, but I only knew of Linda. LINK.

62. Stopped lying : AROSE. To tell you the truth, this was trocky.

63. Sphere : REALM.

64. Common scale extreme : TEN. From one to....

65. Org. chart headings : DEPTS. Org. tells you the answer is an abbr.

66. Crack up : SLAY. Comedy.

Down:

1. When Lear disinherits Cordelia : ACT I.  More friday Shakespeare.

2. "Home on the Range" verb : ROAM.
Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

3. Take unfair advantage of : IMPOSE ON.

4. "Quantum Healing" author Chopra : DEEPAK. So stale, you might day 9D. Dated : OLD.

5. Throw on : DON. And his gay apparel.

6. Ilsa portrayer : INGRID.

7. Overlook, as a fault : SEE PAST.

8. "A Doubter's Almanac" novelist Ethan : CANIN. I guess I no longer read the NYT Book section on Sunday. This  MAN.

10. Under-the-sink brand : SOS PAD. Or did your family use Brillo?

11. "Remington __" : STEELE.

12. Hacker's goal : ACCESS.

14. Nonkosher : TREF. An americanized word pronounced TRAYF.

18. Pressed for time : IN A RUSH.

22. Manicurist's tool : EMERY. Only when they are bored?

24. Expose, with "on" : RAT.

25. Desktop assortment : ICONS.

26. Cherry center : PIT.

27. Lamb parent : EWE. Not me.

31. "Pink Friday" singer Minaj : NICKI. Lots of names.

33. Coiffure : HAIRCUT. $150.00 /$10.00

35. "The End of America" author Wolf : NAOMI. Too POLITICAL for here.

37. Avenue after Reading Railroad : ORIENTAL. Monopoly.

38. Worn end : NUB. Pencil

39. Scrabble three-pointers : EMS.

41. Wonton alternative : EGGDROP. Soup choices.

42. Brazilian map word : SAO. Paulo.

44. "Maybe less" : IF THAT.

45. Intemperate speech : TIRADE. That was almost a trap.

46. Apple's "Think different," e.g. : SLOGAN.

48. Like Meg March, in "Little Women" : ELDEST.

49. Emergency signals : FLARES.

51. Bete __ : NOIRE. I had this recently.

52. Food thickener : AGAR.

56. Poet Walter __ Mare : DELA. Missed him when studying Poetry. LINK.

57. Large number : ARMY.

59. Pokémon Go, e.g. : FAD.

60. French possessive : SES.

Well the month is almost done; this was slow going as some of the proper names were hidden from my brain. Hey it is Friday. My six week wait for an epidural is almost done so maybe I will have more to say next week.  Lemonade out. Thanks Patti.

Thursday, January 26, 2017 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: "SC-ads" - The letters "SC" are added to a plural noun and clued punningly.

17A. What rattlers that never bask in the sun may get? : PALE SCALES. Pale Ales. Plenty of rattlesnakes around the hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills; you need to be careful.

27A. Strikebreakers at a brewery? : SIX-PACK SCABS. Six-pack abs. Try as I did, I never got a six-pack. Something about my body type, according to one trainer.

45A. What berets cover? : FRENCH SCALPS. French Alps. Cute clue. There are alpine regions in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany. I never skied in Germany, but I have skied the other four countries, quite often two on the same day.

'Allo 'allo

60A. Angry looks in the hayloft? : BARN SCOWLS. Barn Owls. I heard an owl close to my home a couple of days ago. Never heard one in LA before.

Nice theme from Jerome; very consistent in adding the letters to the start of the second word of the original noun. The resulting entry and the clues are fun. A good, solid feel to the rest of the fill too. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Hindu noble : RAJA. RANI for his wife.

5. Like pastrami : CURED. Food! Lovely stuff. I've got the process nailed now. It only takes 18 days to make it.

10. Rum cake : BABA. Two Thursdays in a row for this dessert.

14. "O no! it is an __-fixed mark ... ": Shak. : EVER. The second quatrain of sonnet 116 where the Bard describes what "love" is:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

15. "SNL" alum Cheri : OTERI

16. Restaurant in the same corporate group as Applebee's : IHOP

19. Pool element : GENE. Nice clue.

20. Vegetable __ : OIL. I use coconut oil for general cooking, canola oil for making mayonnaise, olive oil for tomato-based pasta sauces.

21. Sore : ACHY

22. Oaf : LUMMOX. Lovely word, You can completely visualize a person who is a lummox.

24. Careless : SLOPPY

26. "This __ test" : IS A

34. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator : DAVID. Crosses for me. Larry David. Talented chap, he was the co-creator of "Seinfeld".

37. Different : OTHER

38. By way of : VIA

39. Controversial sightings : UFOS

40. Demonstrators, often : ANTIS

41. Grammy category : FOLK. Had the "K" and jumped the gun with ROCK. Didn't take long to correct it though. Bruce Springsteen won Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2010 for "The Ghost of Tom Joad" - not the first name that springs to mind in the "Folk" genre.

42. Budgetary waste : FAT

43. Allen who managed the Beatles and Stones : KLEIN. A controversial figure because of sometimes shady business practices. Here's Mick & Co being ultra-cool in 1968.

44. Farmyard noises : OINKS

48. Wee battery : AAA

49. Odorless gas : ETHANE. Certainly looks odorless at first glance, this hydrocarbon.

53. Declare : AFFIRM

56. Comic actor Jacques : TATI. His film "Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot", released in 1953, is still pretty hilarious today.

58. Words in praiseful titles : TO A Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" for example.

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains 

         My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, 

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains 

         One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: 

59. Track component : RAIL

63. Military wind : FIFE. And Drums.

64. African herbivore : RHINO

65. Lot : FATE

66. Lost traction : SLID

67. Quaker in the forest : ASPEN

68. Adele's brother : FRED. The Astaires, not the singer. At least I don't think she's got a brother named Fred.

Down:

1. They get carried away : REPOS

2. Be of use to : AVAIL

3. Pudding snack cup maker : JELLO

4. It may come after you : ARE. I am, you are, he is.

5. Bone below the sacrum : COCCYX. Love this word.

6. State on the Colorado Plateau : UTAH

7. Fall back (on) : RELY

8. Before, in verse : 'ERE

9. Doesn't care for : DISLIKES

10. Lunch order with "special sauce" : BIG MAC. Just lunch? You couldn't get a burger for breakfast at McDonald's because the grills were at a lower temperature to cook the McMuffins. However, when the kitchen changed over from breakfast to lunch at 10:30, you could order a secret menu item - the "Mc10:35" which is a combination Egg McMuffin and McDouble burger. (N.B. Just because you could order it doesn't mean that you should).

11. "May I speak?" : AHEM

12. Pro __ : BONO. I'm pro Bono - I'm a big U2 fan. I just got tickets for the Joshua Tree Tour concert at the Rose Bowl in May.

13. High point : APEX

18. Flavorful : SAPID. Great word. Latin sapidus, tasty.

23. Cold War letters : U.S.S.R.

25. Trident-shaped letters : PSIS. These guys - one uppercase, one lowercase: Ψψ

28. Johnnycakes : PONES. Learning moment for me - I'd never heard of either. A corn pone is a Johnnycake - who knew?

29. Top story : ATTIC. This always takes me a couple of beats to see because in England the building level is a "storey", with an "e".

30. Fine __ : CHINA

31. Lady's company? : AVON. Ding Dong! Avon Calling! Do they sell cosmetics door-to-door any more?

32. Take to the cleaners : BILK

33. Fifth Avenue store : SAKS

34. Keister : DUFF

35. Miles off : AFAR

36. Suffrage, with "the" : VOTE

40. Moorish palace of southern Spain : ALHAMBRA. Beautiful building and gardens in Grenada.

41. Sneakily seek, with "for" : FISH

43. Dodge Aries, e.g. : K-CAR. This seems to be cropping up a lot recently. We had it last Thursday too.

44. Eye-related : OPTIC

46. Aced : NAILED. Crossword solver's triumph. Nailed it!

47. Shows one's feelings : LETS ON

50. Battling : AT WAR

51. "48 HRS." co-star : NOLTE. Nick.

52. Moved carefully : EASED

53. Stray sounds? : ARFS. Sounds from the dog pound.

54. Epic __ : FAIL. Popular Internet meme. No marks for grammar, though,

55. Name for a poodle : FIFI.

56. Vacation plan : TRIP. Because "itinerary" doesn't fit.

57. Diarist Frank : ANNE

61. "I get it" sounds : AHS

62. Not quite right : OFF. Much less serious than an epic fail.

I think that just about wraps it up. Here's the grid!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Dudley went to Wellesley, MA for business yesterday. He said "Next door is none other than Natick, so along the way, I paused for a tourist photo".

So next time you're stumped by a tough crossing, think of Dudley!